Girl Called 'Fat Whale' Raises Money to Save the Whales
Girl Called 'Fat Whale' Takes Back Phrase
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LAMPASAS -- A junior at Lampasas High School is refusing to be the victim of bullying -- instead using her experience to make a difference.
Dannie McMillan, 16, said she was in study hall when she was texted a screen shot of a twitter page another student made that called her a "fat whale" and had an image of a whale superimposed over her face.
"The moment I got out of that classroom, I just started crying," Dannie said. "I was just really upset. I think I got angry after a little bit. But, at first I was just so embarrassed."
Dannie exchanged Facebook messages with plus-size model Laura Lee, who she admires.
"I jokingly told her: part of me wants to cry all day. And, the other part of me wants to get a t-shirt with a whale on it and wear it to school to show that they can't get to me," Dannie explained. "And, she was like 'oh, we should.'"
With Lee's support, Dannie used a website called Booster to design custom t-shirts that read: 'Dee the Fat Whale Saves the Whales.' Shirt purchases will benefit the California-based nonprofit Save the Whales organization.
As of March 13, Dannie had raised more than $500 between t-shirt sales and donations to her gofundme page. Those who purchased t-shirts will receive them after the fundraiser concludes near the end of March.
Calling someone a fat whale is unacceptable, but losing a bit of weight would greatly benefit her health and self-esteem. I can see the lack of it in the name and general concept of the, although honorable, action.
Making a difference when she could've easily just turned it into a negative experience only is inspirational. A link to her to her page should be included in the original post. Reading stuff like this sometimes makes me feel like I should be doing more, we have so many tools at our disposal to spread awareness. If everyone was as involved and willing to invest in a cause the world would be a much better place for everyone. All it takes is like 10 minutes to set up a page and start spreading the word through social media, or even just talking about it with friends is a good start. Hopefully she raises a ton of money from this, I bet Ellen could help out a lot.
